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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

ABOUT THE SERIES:Nestled in the Northwest is a quaint little town that its quirky residents are proud to call home. With charming shops lining its one main thoroughfare, Lumby has the oldest apple tree in the county and the smallest bank in the state. And though it’s hours from the nearest big city, you’ll always find Lumby close to your heart . . .

This book series is a fun escape into a wonderful and quirky world.

The author and her hubby are creating their own little ‘Lumby’ on a 40 acre farm in rural NY – orchard, garden, animals, bees … Her website has some beautiful pictures of the farm that inspires her writing (or the writing that inspires the farm?).

ABOUT THE TOWN OF LUMBY:

"One could describe Lumby as one would describe, with unreserved fondness, their own small town in our vast and diverse country: quaint, with enough quirk to make it interesting. It is a town that holds strong to the belief that the oldest apple tree in the country is firmly rooted on the corner of Cherry Street and Farm to Market Road, and a town that reacted adversely when one of their more entrepreneurial youths put the tree up for auction on the Internet two summers ago." - excerpt from The Lumby Lines

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gail Fraser was born and raised in Rye, New York, and attended the Rye High School before continuing on to major in English and receive an AA from Colby Sawyer College. Gail then studied at the University of London before returning to Skidmore College where she earned her BA in English Education. She completed her MBA at the University of Connecticut, with graduate work done at Harvard University.

Prior to changing her life and becoming a novelist, Gail had a successful career in 'corporate America' holding senior executive and upper management positions in several Fortune 500 and start-up corporations, and traveling extensively throughout the world. In addition to living throughout the east coast from northern Vermont down to central Florida, Gail also lived in Colorado, Montana and Oregon for several years.Gail and her husband, artist Art Poulin, are building their own Lumby on Lazy Goose Farm in rural upstate New York. Featured in several magazines and newspapers, Lazy Goose is a 40-acre gentleman's farm that is demarcated by a 200-year old stone wall, and has views of the Catskills, Adirondack and Vermont mountains. They share their lives with Yoda (a kind and gentle German Shepherd from New Skete Monastery), Emma, Camille and several other two- and four-legged barn friends. Art spends his days in the studio while Gail writes in her library, overlooking their pond. Gail is also an avid stoneware potter, gardener and cook and enjoys tending to their orchard (recently decimated by the deer) and bee hives most every morning.

What Garrison Keillor did for Lake Wobegon, Gail Fraser has done for Lumby in this delightfully touching new novel which centers on outsiders Pam and Mark Walker, who set about converting the community's fire-ravaged monastery into a historic inn. In the process they face the suspicions of the townsfolk, the open hostility of the cranky newspaper publisher, and the sometimes helpful, often humorously hapless assistance of the local tradespeople. An engaging cast of characters is led through an entertaining tale of foibles and romance, intrigue and benign mayhem, and are portrayed in the narratives and snippets from the local paper, The Lumby Lines.

STEALING LUMBY: BOOK TWO

Back in the 1950s, Lumby had a brief moment of fame when renowned artist Dana Porter made two of its picturesque barns the subject of his greatest painting. In Stealing Lumby, the town is jolted from its comfortable obscurity once again when the famous painting disappears and the national media comes a-calling in an effort to solve the mystery. Things go from bad to worse when one of the barns itself goes missing; some see dollar signs in all the attention but others just want to get things back to the way they've always been. There is, after all, the Summer Solstice Moo Doo Iditarod to plan for. All of Lumby's quirkiness comes alive again in this delightful sequel to The Lumby Lines. Faithful readers will recognize old friends, enjoy meeting new ones, and relish all the antics as the story unfolds-as pieces of the stolen barn show up in the strangest of places, a schooner goes sailing down Main Street, and the famous artist considers recreating his masterpiece in a way that amazes all.

LUMBY'S BOUNTY: BOOK THREE

When a silly scheme commits Lumby to building a balloon for the regional festival it must host in twelve short weeks, the town's worthies take up the challenge, wreaking havoc along the way as test balloons suffer hilarious fates. But two foreigners who are visiting Saint Cross come to their rescue; Kai, a sincere young man who discovers his destiny is not in the priesthood, and his brother, Jamar, who brings his own brand of charismatic mischief to the scene and involves several locals in a wildly romantic real estate venture. As the festival approaches, the monks of Saint Cross Abbey, now nationally known for their good works, struggle to deal with the masses of devotees-and more than a few nutcases-flocking to take up residence on the monastery grounds. But in the end, the skies clear and The Bounty of Lumby, breathtaking in color and size, lifts off the ground and floats gently over Montis Inn.

THE PROMISE OF LUMBY: BOOK FOUR

When their beloved veterinarian decides to retire, Lumby's residents turn a curious eye to a stranger, Dr. Tom Candor, who steps up to the responsibilities, hangs his shingle and is soon embraced by the town. But when one distrusting journalist digs too deep and reveals Tom's past, Lumby turns its cold back. Only after Dr. Candor leaves with one of their most beloved residents do the townsfolk pause and consider the consequences of its actions: after all, who will care for Hank if he falls ill? While some residents concoct the wildest of schemes to charm the vet back, Pam and Mark Walker respond to the Montis Inn being unexpectedly thrown into the limelight. And in Franklin, the monks of Saint Cross Abbey face their own temptations from an unexpected proposition by a group of religious vintners, the Sisters of St. Amand who have vine roots and cases of award-winning wine in tow.

LUMBY ON THE AIR: BOOK FIVE--COMING JULY 6, 2010!

Pam and Mark Walker are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary with a week-long family reunion and a ceremony renewing their vows. Mark breezily dismisses Pam’s misgiving about temporarily closing Montis Inn and heads off to the county fair, to try his hand at both chainsaw sculpting and sheep shearing, with chaotic--and hilarious--results. Meanwhile, Pam juggles her thrill-seeking mother, who has a new “friend with benefits,” and her non-conformist niece, who posts family secrets in her online blog . Then Mark’s brother-in-law starts broadcasting his radio talk show live from Montis Inn. His remarks disparaging small-town life cause immediate rifts, especially when he sides with a real estate developer who wants to turn Lumby into a Las Vegas version of Aspen. As the controversy pits family against family, and neighbor against neighbor, will the spirit that defines Lumby triumph once again?

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO CAITLIN AND GOOD PEOPLE AT FSB ASSOCIATES AND AUTHOR GAIL FRASER,I HAVE THE ENTIRE SET OF THE FIRSTFOUR BOOKSTO GIVE AWAY. HERE IS WHATYOU NEED TO DO TO WIN THE SET...ANDPOSSIBLY THE NEW BOOK WHEN IT COMESOUT THIS SUMMER IN JULY!

--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY--NO P. O. BOXES---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESSIN CASE YOU WIN!--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATETOCOUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!HOW TO ENTER:Over the next 4 days, you willlearn more about the four booksindividually and be able to gatherentries for the entire set. FIRSTYou MUST ENTER HERE to be eligible towin the set of four LUMBY books.SECONDYou MUST ENTER EACH DAY forthe four books to be eligible forthe set. You only HAVE to enterthe "MANDATORY ENTRY" partsbut can gain more chances withthe bonus entry questions.Here goes...

+1 ENTRY-MANDATORY:YOU MUST BE A FOLLOWER OF THIS WEBSITE. THE WAYS YOU CAN FOLLOW ARE BY GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT, EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION, OR NETWORKED BLOGS. ALL ARE IN THE LEFT COLUMN IF YOU NEED TO SIGN UP. COMMENT ON HOW YOU FOLLOW SO I CAN CHECK. THANKS!

+1 MORE ENTRY-MANDATORY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT THIS SERIES FROM WHAT YOU READ ABOVE AND WHY YOU WANT TO WIN THE SERIES AND BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE 5TH BOOK IN JUNE!

+1 MORE ENTRY:VISIT GAIL FRASER'S WEBSITE AND SIGN UP FOR HER NEWSLETTER HERE.+1 MORE ENTRY:BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND LEAVE A LINK I CAN FOLLOW IN THE ENTRY

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT6 PM, EST, APRIL 25!

GOOD LUCKBONUS!!!!IF THERE ARE 200 OR MORE QUALIFIEDENTRIES TO WIN THE SET, I WILLPERSONALLY PURCHASE A SECONDSET TO GIVE AWAY!

This sounds like such a cute series to read! Who wouldn't like an escape now from the every day mayhem in our lives! I live in Tampa, FL...far from an quant little town...but I bet I could pretend if I hide out in my backyard reading this stories!Thanks,Colleencandc320@gmail.com

I think that this series is unique and it brings me back to when I was growing up in the city where I was born and life was simpler, and totally different from the twenty first century. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

This interests me because I LOVE small towns, even though I don't live in one. Ever since I began watching Gilmore Girls, I fell in love with Stars Hollow, and decided I must live in a small town someday.

I love interconnected stories about small towns. I also really like where it's set and I miss Mitford. Really need to find a series to fill that genre for me! These books look great. Thanks.JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

I just added this series to my wishlist last week! I noticed the beautiful covers first and then thought the stories sounded wonderful. I love the Mitford series by Jan Karon and the Harmony series by Phillip Gulley and this sounded very similar. And the contest ends on my birthday so I'm feeling lucky! :)

I am loving the reviews of this new to me series. It makes me want to head right out and get started reading them. So a teenager poses as Lumby's mayor, how hilarious. Love & Hugs.Pampk4290@comcast.net

I love that the fun continues in The Promise of Lumby. My question for this book is how does a horse get mistaken for a coyote? The monks & the sisters twist sounds intriguing too.Love & Hugs,Pampk4290@comcast.net

I absolutely love animals, well maybe not snakes or rats, but I would love to be a veteranarian. I am owned by 2 dogs and a crazy cat and sometimes vet bills can get out of hand so for that reason alone I would love to take care of my own clan.Love & Hugs,Pampk4290@comcast.net

This series sounds great! Even if I don't win the set, I think I will definitely have to read them. I've loved Lake Woebegone for years, and I'm from a small town, so I like hearing and reading stories about places like my home.I'm following you via email, twitter, and facebook. Please enter me for the drawing--my email is jonescyndi@yahoo.com

+1 I want to read all 5 Lumby books because these books are about simplicity. What life use to be like before we became swamped with new technologies and decided not to wave at our neighbor while walking. I also like small town life. People are more gentle. These are people who will read The Lumby Line just because they're loyal to the newspaper. The newspaper isn't telling about a ghastly murder or about a wild movie star. It's just telling about who won the quilting contest or who didn't go to church on Sunday, etc. I love the oldest apple tree and a monastery being made in to an inn.I want to read the fifth book too. Because the fifth book will tell whether these nice citizens were able to save their charming town from the hustle and bustle of neon lights and casinos.

I can't imagine banking at the smallest bank in the state (although I grew up in a town that only has 2 banks (even to this day!) and only 1 atm machine. However, my town was never as exciting as this one!

I must admit, this is one of the hardest contests. It's hard to remember to enter every day, and some days I'm nowhere near a computer. I just hope I've managed to get 4 days in a row considering how many entries I've done!I now follow you on facebook, google connect, and email. I've got to admit--you've gotten me totally hooked!Cyndijonescyndi@yahoo.com

Thanks to all!

Sadly, we will be saying good bye to Bookin' With Bingo early next month. Things just have been too hectic so we have chosen to close down with hopes for a new "BWB" someday. Thanks to all and KEEP READING!